A Rockna Audio Wavedream Reference Signature DAC ($27,000) and a Lumin U2X digital transport/streamer ($11,000) fed signal to a Trafomatic Audio Tara 30A class-A preamplifier ($80,000), coupled to WestminsterLab Rei bridged monoblocks ($35,000/pair), driving Von Schweikert Audio ULTRA.seven Foundation loudspeakers ($195,000/pair). MasterBuilt Audio cables and Solidsteel racks finalized the system.
System 2 was no slouch. A Rockna Audio Wavedream Reference Signature DAC ($27,000) and Lumin U2X digital transport/streamer ($11,000) handled digital conversion. A WestminsterLab Quest preamplifier ($25,000) and VAC Signature 200 iQ monoblocks ($18,000/ea.) amplified the signal. Von Schweikert Audio VR.thirty loudspeakers ($59,000/pair) completed the system, with MasterBuilt Audio cables and Solidsteel racks.
Shawn cued up a demanding double-bill: John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" followed by Earl Wild's Piano Concerto in d minor.
The sonic profile was dark, heavy, saturated. The bass lumbering and a bit boomy--perhaps too much for the room. That flaw was outweighted by the system's virtues: The energy of Coltrane's solos cut through with razor-sharp focus. The shift to Wild's concerto revealed the system's depth with romantic swells. This system's emotional impact spirited me away.
